Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Thursday 15 July 1999

Scottish Executive

Education

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools will have access to the internet before the end of October 1999.

Mr Sam Galbraith: In March 1999 there were 1204 primary schools (53%) and 320 secondary schools (82%) with access to the Internet. This information comes from the Improvement Plans prepared by local authorities under the Excellence Fund arrangements. The School Census in September 1999 will provide updated figures.

Food

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had, or plans to have, any meetings with companies or organisations involved in the manufacture or supply of genetically modified food products.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive has not had specific meetings with such organisations although there has been full consultations on the recent legislative changes on labelling. In due course it will, however, be important to obtain views from all Scottish interests in genetically modified food – including consumer, environmental and industry interests.

Food

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to detail with whom it intends to consult prior to making decisions regarding the Food Standards Agency in Scotland.

Susan Deacon: The proposals for the Food Standards Agency, including those for Scotland, have been subject to thorough consultation at the White Paper and draft Bill stages and during pre-legislative scrutiny. The Scottish Executive has also consulted MSPs by means of a formal debate in the Scottish Parliament asking for approval to the policy of a UK-wide agency and for legislation to be taken forward in the UK Parliament. Approval was confirmed.

Food

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether following the death of athlete Ross Baillie of anaphylactic shock through nut allergy, it intends to incorporate into Food Safety legislation a legal requirement to label all restaurant food to disclose nut or nut oil contents.

Susan Deacon: Food labelling legislation is agreed at EC level and prescribed by Council Directive 79/112/EEC. The Directive is implemented in Great Britain by the Food Labelling Regulations 1996. Catering establishments are exempt from most of the general food labelling requirements.

  Discussions are ongoing at EU level to amend the Directive to require labelling of those ingredients which are known to affect allergy sufferers. In addition to food containing nut or nut oil contents it is also important to identify other specific ingredients (eggs, milk, fish, cereals containing gluten and their products) which are also recognised as causing hypersensitivity to allergy sufferers. This is a devolved matter and the Scottish Parliament has powers to legislate in this area - within the parameters laid down in EU legislation. Legislation on this issue will be considered following the outcome of EU discussions.

Health

George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to review the funding of remote medical practises such as Glenorchy and Innishail in Argyll and Bute.

Susan Deacon: There are no plans to review the funding of remote medical practices. General Practitioners are independent contractors and not NHS employees. They do not receive a salary but are paid through a system of fees and allowances designed to deliver an average income and cover practice expenses. In the most remote areas, some practices, including the one mentioned, are covered by the Inducement Scheme. This is a scheme to underwrite the income of a practice to ensure practitioners can earn a guaranteed level of income each year. There are no current plans to review this scheme.

Health

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what is the location of the nearest NHS Dexa scanner to residents within the Highland Council area and whether it will provide additional funding to enable a Dexa scanner and the appropriate associated staffing to be provided at Raigmore Hospital.

Susan Deacon: The nearest NHS Dexa Scanner to residents of the Highland Council area is located at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. There are 5 NHS Dexa Scanners in Scotland, 2 of which are in Aberdeen. The range and type of health services made available in any area are most appropriately decided at a local level. I am not aware of any plans by Highland Health Board to fund a Dexa Scanner locally.

Health

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements for the pension rights of the new staff, as opposed to those transferring from the present Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, have been negotiated with the company contracted to supply ancillary services to the NHS.

Susan Deacon: Talks are ongoing at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh about the terms and conditions of new staff. We are impressing on all concerned that we trust that these will reach a fair and equitable conclusion.

Justice

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has regarding the provision of community legal services and what the timetable is for progressing the proposals contained in the document "Access to Justice: a consultation paper on civil legal aid".

Mr Jim Wallace: I am considering the way forward on the proposals in Access to Justice Beyond the Year 2000 in the light of analysis of responses to the paper and more recent developments. I hope to announce detailed plans in due course.

Justice

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what estimates have been made of the level of use of the powers proposed to be granted to consumer bodies, including the citizens advice bureaux, to take legal action in relation to unfair contract terms.

Henry McLeish: None. Consumer bodies will be able to make their own decisions, taking into account the incidence of relevant problems and their own local priorities and resources. The Director General of Fair Trading will continue to be under a duty to consider all complaints he receives about the use of unfair terms.

Justice

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to fund citizens’ advice bureaux in order that they can provide services and in particular to ensure that they can exercise the powers proposed to be granted to them in relation to unfair contract terms.

Henry McLeish: The level of support for advisory services is a matter for local authorities in the light of local needs and priorities and the resources available to them. The DTI funds the national and Scottish associations of Citizens Advice Bureaux to provide a range of central services to support the operation of local CABx.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Childcare

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer what was the number and content of responses received to the first childcare provision questionnaire.

Sir David Steel: Nine responses were received, 2 from candidates who were later unsuccessful in the elections. On the question "Do you have a need for nursery provision?", the remaining seven responded as follows:

  Yes – 3 : of these, one wanted crèche facilities for a baby, either in Edinburgh close to the Parliament, or in Glasgow; one preferred/needed support for childcare/nursery provision close to home in Glasgow (she could not commute with children to Edinburgh); and one preferred to keep her child in the existing nursery although might consider placing her in a nursery closer to the Parliament building at a later date.

  Possibly – 1: emergency out-of-school care on site

  No – 3

  A further questionnaire was returned late in May, responding in the positive but wishing to discuss further.

Facilities

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer when arrangements for MSPs to have use of pre-postage-paid envelopes for constituency business will be finalised.

Sir David Steel: The SPCB are to be invited to consider at their next meeting the arrangements surrounding the issue of pre-postage paid envelopes to MSPs for constituency business. A paper will be tabled at that meeting, scheduled for 6 August, which will outline the options available. In the interim, rolls of stamps will continue to be available from the Mail Room in Parliament Headquarters for MSPs use in their constituencies.

Facilities

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer when the next childcare survey of MSPs, their staff and Parliamentary staff will take place and whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will agree the remit, nature and content of that survey.

Sir David Steel: A draft questionnaire will be produced for approval by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body and considered at it’s meeting scheduled for August 6 th .